Monday, March 22, 2010

Federal Way police officer dies following incident with stolen vehicle

By FEDERAL WAY MIRROR

From the Federal Way Police Department:

At 1:15 a.m. March 21, Federal Way police were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle located in the 33300 Block of 26th Avenue SW in Federal Way. The vehicle was described as a dark colored Lincoln SUV with two persons sleeping in the back. The vehicle was backed up against an unoccupied residence.

Federal Way police officers responded to the area of the vehicle. Once officers were on-scene, it was determined the vehicle was reported as stolen by the King County Sheriff’s Office. As the officers approached, applied vehicle stopping devices, and initiated verbal commands, the driver of the vehicle started the engine and began to flee against the verbal commands of officers. As the vehicle left the area, it struck/rammed three Federal Way marked patrol vehicles. Two Federal Way police officers fired their weapons at the driver and the vehicle.

The vehicle was subsequently found nearby. The driver was found hiding in a carport area of a residence and was taken into custody without incident by Federal Way police officers. The suspect driver is a 17-year-old Hispanic male with an extensive criminal history and is a convicted felon. The suspect suffered a non-life threatening bullet wound to his arm and was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. There is currently one suspect occupant from the stolen vehicle at large.

The two Federal Way Police Officers who discharged their weapons were not injured. They have been placed on paid administrative leave (standard procedure) pending the outcome of an investigation.

While this officer Involved shooting incident was being investigated, Federal Way police officers maintained a perimeter around the crime scene. At approximately 6:45 a.m., one of the perimeter officers was found collapsed in his patrol vehicle.

Federal Way police officers initiated CPR, which continued with the arrival of the King County Medic One unit. Officers and medics were unable to revive the officer and he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:21 a.m. Saturday. The cause of death is unknown at this time and the officer's name has not been released. An autopsy is scheduled for March 22. The officer was 35 years old and had been with the Federal Way police for four and a half years. He is survived by his wife, two children and extended family. The couple had a third child due in May.

Stay tuned for an updated report as more information becomes available.